Because of You
by callie16
Summary: Haley's trying to move on from high school. Nathan's just trying to live with his decisions. What happens when all of the sudden Duke University isn't big enough for the both of them...Naley AU
1. A New Way

Because of You

nallie23

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own _One Tree Hill. _It belongs to Mark Schwahn and The CW.

_**AN:**_ Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic and I hope that everyone enjoys it! Please read and review and let me know what you think!

Haley hated that the stereotypical groups were still here. She thought that once you graduate high school, everyone matured. Apparently she was wrong. She watched out the window as the nerds read a book. She watched the bubbly cheerleaders skip next to the jocks and she watched the girls wearing black rimmed eyes smoke their cigarettes. It all just _sucked_ if you asked her.

Haley James knew that she was being somewhat of a hypocrite. She belonged to the "popular" group in high school and that was probably where she would fall here too. But it wasn't always like that. Haley was always the nerdy tutor girl. She was always the one people would come to for help and the one that always got straight A's. The only reason she was a part of the popular crowd was because of who her friends were.

Brooke Davis, Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer were her best friends. They had known each other since elementary school and they had grown closer ever since. Lucas Scott was the one person that Haley had felt the most connected to and they were definitely the closest in their little group. They both enjoyed the academics of school, they were both kind-hearted and they were both somewhat reserved. Then there was Peyton Sawyer. A moody, artistic and musical blonde who didn't give a damn about what anyone thought. Peyton had her moments and sometimes brought the mood down but they all loved her and her sarcasm. And finally was Brooke Davis. Brooke was one of a kind. She was bubbly, outspoken, fiercely protective and down-right gorgeous.

Haley loved that they were all so close and even though her and Brooke were a year younger she felt like it would always be that way. It was all perfect until the summer before senior year…

"Halesssss," Haley was pulled from her thoughts when Brooke came bounding through their new dorm. She smiled before turning towards her.

The green eyed brunette had her arms on her hips and her eyebrows furrowed together. Haley fought the urge to laugh at her. One thing you didn't want to do was get on the bad side of Brooke Davis.

"What's up Tigger? Did you find out who our roommate was?" Haley and Brooke were moving into their apartment at Duke University. It was their freshmen year and both were excited but for completely different reasons. Haley was looking forward to the academic aspect while Brooke was looking forward to the college boys.

"NO! I was trying to get up close to the list that was posted but this red haired slut starts bitching at me and saying that I should go back to Kansas! Can you believe that? I would've got right up in her face but the RA's were right there! But it was close to a full out brawl Tutor Girl!" Brooke rambled on and on just like always. She was too dramatic for her own good sometimes.

"Wow Brooke. Sorry I wasn't there to help you out of that crisis," Haley replied with a hint of a smirk.

"Ha Ha. You should just be glad I held myself back so you didn't have to come bail me out of jail," Brooke said exasperated. She plopped herself down onto the couch and combed through her hair with her fingers.

Haley and Brooke had lucked out with an apartment suite this year thanks to the credit cards of Brooke's parents. It was completely furnished with a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, 3 bedrooms and a balcony and not to mention the two girls getting to share the place. The only downer was that they had another roommate too.

"Yeah thank God I don't have to do that again." Haley commented under her breath as she picked up an empty box and put it on the counter.

"I heard that Tutor Girl."

Haley smiled. Sometimes it was fun just to taunt her a bit. "It doesn't matter anyways Brooke. Our roommate will show up sometime soon and we will meet her then.

Brooke sighed. "I know, I Know. Oh and Hales…"

"Yeah Brookie," Haley looked over at Brooke and smirked at the annoyed expression on her face. She hated that nickname.

Brooke fidgeted with her hands. She looked up at Haley, "You know that you are going to see -"

"I know Brooke!" Haley immediately interjected, "I don't want to think about that. Now let's go meet up with Peyton!" Haley gave Brooke a look. She didn't want to be having this conversation right now.

Brooke got the hint and dropped the subject. "Ahh yay! We get to see P. Sawyer! Let's go, let's go! Come on Hales," Brooke quickly checked her outfit in the mirror and then barrelled out the door. Brooke was just a little kid at heart.

Haley chuckled and shook her head. She grabbed the key off of the counter and locked their dorm. She smoothed out her blue plaid shirt and her skinny jeans and caught up to Brooke who was speed walking down the hall.

When Haley and Brooke had been entering senior year, Peyton and Lucas had already graduated. They both had decided to go to Duke University and they were both here now. Haley knew it wasn't going to be the same though. Sure she and Brooke still talked to Peyton a few times a week but like they expected- they had grown apart. But Peyton wasn't who Haley was worried about. It was Lucas. Throughout the past year, she and Lucas had lost touch and though they used to have a great friendship it was now filled with tension, hurt and awkwardness. She hoped this year would mend broken fences but you never know.

The two girls walked through the campus and both noticed the looks they got. She watched Brooke embrace each one and give each guy a little wink. Haley herself felt a little uncomfortable. She tried not to feel that way and accept it like she learned to do last year but her old self still wanted to shine through.

Haley looked ahead and immediately saw a curly blonde head of hair. She and Brooke ran the rest of the way and the 3 girls embraced in an emotional hug.

"I missed you girlies," Peyton whispered.

"We missed you too P Sawyer," Brooke and Haley whispered back.

Haley pulled away and dabbed at her eyes. It felt right for the first time in a while. She smiled at her two best friends as they pulled away and fixed their eye makeup.

"It's so great that you guys are here! Now we can get back to how things use to be," Peyton gushed. Haley glanced at Brooke and smiled. She knew this was where they were meant to be.

In the past year, she had never felt so out of place. She didn't think her life would ever turn around. She almost gave up hope. Almost. Brooke saved her though. And for that, she will never be able to repay her.

"Haley! Haley! You still there," Peyton's voice interrupted her thoughts and brought her back to earth.

"Don't worry about it Peyton, Hales zones out all the time now." Haley saw the weary exchange between the girls and rolled her eyes. It figures that they would gang up on me she thought.

Haley turned her focus back to Brooke when she saw the excited look on her face. "Anyways, I was just about to ask Peyton if she knew where Lucas was," Brooke said cheerily. Haley noticed the way her face lit up when she said Luke's name. She figured that Brooke's harboured crush on him was still going strong.

At that, Peyton's face paled and her eyes widened. "Uhmm…"

"Oh look! There he is! Come on Hales! You too Peyt!" Brooke squealed and grabbed Haley and Peyton's arm.

Haley caught sight of Luke. His back was towards them and he was standing beside two other guys on the outdoor basketball court. Lucas had his gym bag slung casually over his shoulder and the three of them were watching the current game being played.

As they got closer, Haley's stomach knotted. She had only seen him a handful of times this past year, and each time got more and more awkward.

The three girls stopped a few feet behind the boys and Brooke tapped Lucas' shoulder. Lucas looked over his shoulder and froze. He then shifted his attention to the green eyes of Brooke Davis and immediately smiled. He turned around and hugged her tight.

Haley watched with a smile on her face as her best friend hugged her old one. She knew that this was what Brooke had needed for the past year.

Lucas released Brooke and looked towards Haley. She hesitated. She didn't know whether to hug him or just smile at him. She missed the time when it wasn't like this- when it was just natural. He decided for her though and stepped forward to embrace her. She stepped on her tippy toes and buried her head in his shoulder. It felt safe.

She loosened her hold on Lucas when she heard one of Lucas' friends say something.

"Hey Luke, where did you-" Nathan stopped midsentence and trailed off once he looked behind him. He swallowed hard.

Haley looked into the infamous eyes of Nathan Scott and her face hardened. Her fists tightened and her muscles tensed. Just the sight of him heightened every emotion she had.

Nathan turned towards Lucas. His eyes narrowed and his voice was dangerously low.

"What the hell is she doing here?"


	2. In the Dark

Hey everyone! I'm glad everyone seems to like the idea of this fic and I hope everyone likes the chapters to come! By the way – flashbacks are written in italics.

I am going to try and update as often as I can but you know how busy our lives get… Thanks for all the support! Please read and review!

* * *

><p>Chapter Two:<p>

Haley rolled her eyes as Brooke continued to knock fervently on her bedroom door. She dramatically exhaled as she turned down the music and got off of her bed.

"Tutor Girl! If you don't open this door _right now_ i am going to-"

Haley unlocked the door and swung it open. There she came face to face with the fists of Brooke Davis, ready to pound on the door once again. "You're going to what Brooke?"

Brooke huffed and breezed through the doorway. She plopped herself onto Haley's neatly made bed and examined her perfectly manicured nails. "You know what I'm capable of Hales."

Haley shook her head and walked over to her closet. She reached up to the top shelf and pulled down an old shoe box. She then sat down cross-legged on the floor and stared longingly at the cardboard.

"Where's Peyton," Haley questioned while glancing up at Brooke.

"Well after you and he-who-shall-not-be-named stormed off, Luke said he was going to follow him and I said I would follow you. Peyton offered to come too but it looked like her and that other guy were vibing off each other so I told her to just stay there. We are supposed to meet up with her later tonight though- before tryouts."

"Brooooke! I told you. I don't want to do cheerleading this year!" Haley had made it clear on several occasions that cheerleading last year was just a one-time thing.

"Hales! Come on! You were so great last year! And you looked totally bitchin' in that cheer skirt - almost better than me!" Brooke threw Haley an exaggerated wink in hopes to change her mind.

Haley chuckled at Brooke. She always wanted to have her own way. But Haley wasn't having it this time. "Sorry Brooke. Not gunna happen."

"Ugh! Haley!" Brooke crossed her arms and let out a huff. She looked down at her feet and began to mumble incoherent profanities.

Haley ignored Brooke's dramatic antics and lifted the lid off of the box in front of her.

A flood of memories hit Haley hard and she had to remind herself to breath. She picked up the plastic bracelet and stared wistfully at it. Though the colours were beginning to fade it still gave her the same feelings it had that day so long ago. "_Don't say I never gave you anything" _she thought to herself. Haley placed the crackerjack prize back into the box and pulled out a picture. She gazed at the 5 friends when they were their happiest.

"I miss that," Brooke commented from behind Haley's shoulder. "Remember that day? When we ran out of gas on the highway and we had to wait for hours just to get a tow truck?"

Haley chuckled. "Yeah and then everyone got mad at Luke for not stopping to fill up earlier."

"Yep! And we ended up missing that entire concert!"

"It wasn't bad though. We were all together and we had fun anyways." Haley peered back down at the picture in her lap. Tears welled in her eyes when she noticed the arm that was draped across her shoulders.

Brooke rubbed Haley's arms. "It could be like that again you know," she whispered.

"How Brooke? You saw what happened today- how could it ever be like _this _again?" She waved the picture in front of Brooke's face to prove her point. Haley shook her head and then placed the picture back into the box to bury all of her emotions once again.

_Nathan turned towards Lucas. His eyes narrowed and his voice was dangerously low._

"_What the hell is she doing here?"_

_Lucas put his hands up in front of his body to surrender. He shifted himself further away from his brother and closer to Jake. _

"_Excuse me but __**she**__ has a name you know," Haley spoke roughly. _

_Nathan turned his attention back to her. "I know you do. Its princess right?" He gave her his signature smirk and crossed his arms over his chest. _

_Haley was fuming. "Well I see you're still a jackass. Tell me, have you screwed over anymore girls or was that just me?"_

"_No actually I just screw girls. I figured out a while ago that that was so much better than all the relationship bullshit I had with you." _

"_Nate - cut it out alright. She doesn't need to hear this right now." Lucas spoke up as he saw the pain flash across Haley's face. No matter what happened between them he never wanted to see her hurt. _

"_You know what Luke? I don't need you to save me anymore! And I sure as hell don't need you to save me from your ass of a brother! You lost that role a long time ago so don't worry about me! And you-"Haley turned towards Nathan and pointed her finger directly in his face. "—just stay the hell away from me."_

_With that Haley stormed off back towards her new apartment. Nathan scoffed and turned in the opposite direction and stalked off towards the gym. Lucas and Brooke just looked at each other and sighed. It was going to be a long year._

* * *

><p>Nathan Scott watched the basketball soar through the air and fall through the hoop. He stared at the orange ball as it bounced on the pavement and then rolled onto the grass.<p>

Basketball was the only thing he knew – the only thing in his life that he could count on anymore. He shook his head as he thought of the person that he used to be able to count on for anything and everything.

"_Hi." She said once she entered his room. _

"_Hey. Thanks for coming."_

_Haley smiled and sat down next to him on the bed. "Thanks for calling me. What's wrong?"_

_Nathan sighed. "My mom's gone back to rehab and my dad thinks it's a great time to hound me even more about basketball. I'm just so sick of him pressuring me constantly. It's getting to be too much."_

_Haley scooted closer to Nathan and held his hand. "I'm so sorry Nathan. You don't deserve the way your parents treat you. You are the strongest and bravest person I know for living the life that you do."_

_Nathan stared lovingly into her chocolate brown eyes and adoringly smiled. "You know for most of my life I would have gone through this alone - but then I met you. And I finally found someone I could depend on when life got this. So I guess I called you 'cause I wanted to know if that was still there."_

_Haley took Nathan's face in between her hands and placed a soft tender kiss on his lips. Once she pulled away she looked into the depths of his eyes. "You can always call me Nathan. Always and forever." _

_He smiled back at her and leaned in for more of her heavenly kisses. _

_Always and forever my ass _Nathan thought bitterly to himself. He tried in vain to get rid of the memory that had overwhelmed his thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell on his mistakes. He did enough of that while lying in bed at night. The past was in the past and basketball was his only future.

Nathan jogged over to the edge of the court and picked up the ball. He dribbled it a few times in front of him and then barrelled down the court and went for his signature dunk. He hung on the hoop for an extra few seconds but dropped when he heard someone clapping behind him

"Nice one. No wonder they call you Hot Scott." Lucas clapped his hands together and complimented his brother. The best way to get on his brother's good side was to stroke his ego.

Nathan briefly smirked at that. "That's not the only reason. You know I'm hot on the court and off it Luke."

Lucas shook his head and laughed. Nathan was one of a kind. He stepped onto the court and approached him. "So you wanna talk about it?"

In a split second Nathan went from amused to angry. He clenched his jaw and gripped the basketball harder in his hands. "What do you think?" Nathan said harshly.

"Okay okay. I got the hint. But just so you know, I had no idea that she was going to be coming here."

Nathan scoffed. "Oh please. You practically talk to Brooke every day and there is no way she kept that to herself for this long! You know how she is."

"I swear she didn't say a word." Lucas said. "I was just as surprised to see her there as you were."

Nathan sighed loudly. "I just…I just don't understand why she's here? I mean she always said that she wanted to go to Stanford –was she lying the entire time or something? Or is she just trying to mess with me."

Lucas balked. "Well I highly doubt Haley would do either of those things Nate. You know she's better than that."

"No actually I don't _Pucas. _I don't know who she is at all anymore and I doubt that you do either."

Nathan dribbled the ball again and headed down the court. He went for the layup and watched the ball sail through the net. "Now are you ready to play some one on one or are you still being a girl?"

Lucas looked at his brother and shook his head. He will never change. Nathan will always be the one to close himself off whenever he's hurting. It's just the way it was and there was nothing Lucas could do to change it. The only person that could was someone that Nathan pushed away long ago.

"You're on little brother."

* * *

><p>"Honestly Brooke. Just leave it alone already." Haley said for what seemed like the 10th time in the past 20 minutes.<p>

The trek down memory lane had ended and Haley had rebuilt the wall around herself once again. Ever since senior year had started, she had been very careful at keeping her emotions to herself. It was bad enough that Brooke had to practically feed her during the summer _it _happened; she didn't need to keep putting herself out there like that.

"Hales! There is something going on there. I can feel it." Brooke said exasperated.

Haley buried her face into her pillows. "I know Brooke. You think something is going on between Peyton and Jake." Haley said from beneath the pillow.

"No tutor girl. I don't think – I know! I just don't know why she wouldn't tell us. I mean we tell her everything."

"Brooke you know just as well as I do that Peyton has become even more closed off this past year so why would she tell us if she had a crush on a boy?" Haley pointed out as she rolled over onto her back.

Brooke sat up and looked at Haley with a pout on her face. "Becauseeeee we are her best friends!"

Haley laughed at the expression on Brooke's face. No matter how much time you've spent with Brooke Davis you never get use to her dramatics.

"Don't worry Brookie. She'll come around eventually."

Brooke nodded her head and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by an incessant knocking at the door.

Brooke stood up and began to walk towards the door. "Ugh could you just wait for _one _second please! Brooke yelled when the knocking continued.

"It's annoying isn't it?" Haley commented with a grin.

"Can it Tutor Girl." Brooke said while looking over her shoulder at Haley and narrowing her eyes.

"Oh Tigger! It's probably our other roommate." Haley said remembering that they had yet to meet her.

"Yeah you're probably right Hales."

Brooke smiled at Haley and turned to the door. She glanced at herself in the mirror and smoothed out her clothes. She then opened the door and stared wide-eyed at the person on the other side of the door.

"Oh hell no!" Brooke said passionately and slammed the door in the girl's face.

"Brooke!" Haley yelled. She stepped forward and shoved her best friend towards the couch and went to re-answer the door. "Sorry about that. Brooke can be a bit rude sometimes."

The tall and skinny red head pushed her way into the apartment with several suitcases. She flung her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms over her stomach. "Whatever. I met _Brooke _earlier and she was a bitch then too."

Brooke stood up and went to stand next to Haley. "She's the red haired slut I was telling you about earlier Hales. You remember? She was the one that got in my way when I was trying to look at the lists that were posted."

"Well I hate to break it to you girl but this isn't Kansas anymore and you can't use your big ass to get what you want."

Brooke took a step closer to the red head. "Alright listen hunny –"

"Whoa Brooke. Calm down." Haley stepped in front of Brooke and waited for her to relax. When she did, Haley took the initiative to find out information about their new roommate.

"So I'm Haley, and you are?" Haley smiled and reached out her hand.

"Rachel Gattina." She curtly replied and walked passed Haley's outstretched hand.

Haley awkwardly put her hand back down and shot an annoyed look to Brooke. _What a bitch _they both mouthed and then laughed with each other quietly.

Rachel carried all of her suitcases into her room and then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "Do either of you know where the cheerleader tryouts are tonight? Oh wait, why would you guys know. You're both clearly not cheerleaders! I mean look at you." Rachel took the time to look up and down at both girls. She then made a face of disgust and took a sip of water.

Before Brooke even had the chance to reply Haley had already began to speak. "First of all stop checking us out-" Haley stuck a finger in her mouth and imitated a gagging reflex. "- And second of all, Brooke and I are in fact cheerleaders and we will be at the tryouts later tonight."

"Well isn't that cute." Rachel sneered.

Haley gave her a cold stare. "Yeah well you better step up and hope that you even make the team or else it's going to be a tough year for you."

Rachel laughed sinisterly. "You don't scare me little girl. If anyone should be worried about making the team it's you and your girlfriend."

"I guess we'll see tonight then huh Rach-hoe!"

Rachel scoffed and shook her head. She grabbed her bottle of water off of the counter and stormed down the hall. A few seconds later the girls heard her door slam shut.

"You changed your mind Hales? You're going to cheerlead again?

Haley shook her head and cracked her knuckles. She looked at Brooke and nodded. "That bitch is going down Tigger."


	3. A Far Cry

Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! I hope you enjoy and remember to review!

Chapter Three:

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><p>"We have nothing to worry about Tutor Girl! I mean look at these people. My Grandma can cheer better than them."<p>

"Whatever Brooke," Haley snipped.

"Well it looks like "bitchy" is in season," Brooke teased. She nudged her best friend with her shoulder as they sat and watched the rest of the try outs.

Haley had been in a bad mood since she stood up to Rachel. Once she realized that she had forced herself into cheerleading once again she hadn't been having the most positive attitude.

Cheerleading wasn't who she was. It wasn't something that brought her joy like it did for Brooke. And it wasn't something that connected her to her mom like it did with Peyton. It was just something that distracted her from her problems during the last year of high school.

But looking back she realized it probably caused more bad than good.

Haley knew that she had changed. She didn't tutor anymore and she didn't sing. Two things that had once defined her weren't even a part of her life now. Her original and quirky traits had been taken away- right around the time that her heart was broken.

That's why she didn't want to cheerlead anymore. It made her a person that she didn't want to be. Something that she never thought she could be – popular.

Haley let out a breath. "Sorry Brooke. I just was trying to get away from cheerleading and now here I am." Haley looked over to Brooke who was looking at her with concern in her eyes.

"Hales. Do you remember the night last year when we won the Sparkle Classic?"

"Brooke, why does that matter? I'm telling you that I don't –"

Brooke cut her off and gave her a hard look. "Answer the question Haley," she ordered.

Haley rolled her eyes and mumbled "yes" under her breath.

"And do you remember how good that felt? When that judge announced for the first time ever Tree Hill Ravens had won that competition? Don't you remember that moment?"

"Of course I do Brooke. But I don't want to be a cheerleader! I don't want to check the mirror every second or wear the hottest brands. I just want to be plain old tutor girl again!" Haley's eyes welled with tears and she looked off into the distance.

"Hales look at me," Brooke grabbed Haley's shoulders and turned her towards her. "You know damn well why you changed last year and it _wasn't_ because of cheerleading. You can be whoever you want to be and nothing will change unless you let it"

Haley looked down. "But I'm not the same anymore," she whispered brokenly.

"Yes you are Haley James. You've just lost yourself. And when you lose yourself you have two choices: find the person you used to be or lose that person completely. And you'll find her Haley because you are still the smartest, kindest and the best person I know."

Haley smiled at Brooke and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Thanks Tigger," she said. "You're the best."

The girls embraced for another minute until they heard someone approaching.

"Whoa sorry. Am I interrupting something?" Peyton asked.

"Nope," Brooke said with a smile. "Just a little Baley moment!"

Peyton and Haley laughed at their friend. She was irreplaceable that Brooke Davis.

"Well anyways, I have some good news for you guys," Peyton said excitedly. "I was just talking to Theresa and she said that you guys definitely made the squad!"

Brooke flew out of her seat and jumped up. "YES!" she screamed and started to dance around in a little circle.

"That's not all B Davis. She loved you guys so much that she is inviting you to the cheerleading/basketball party tonight!"

Haley went wide eyed. "Oh I don't know about that. I mean -"

"Oh hush Hales. You're going. Don't even try to fight it." Brooke gave her a stern look and Haley crossed her arms over her chest.

"Okay so it's settled. I'll go tell her you guys are in!"

"Thanks P Sawyer," Brooke smiled and waved and then suddenly stopped. "Oh my God!" she shrieked. "We need to go get ready! Come on Hales! Peyton come get ready at our place when you're done here!"

Brooke grabbed Haley's arm and began to lead her down the bleacher stairs and passed Peyton.

Haley blushed as Brooke dragged her through the gym. She looked back at Peyton who was watching them and laughing. She gave her a dirty look and flipped her off which only seemed to make her laugh harder.

Haley sighed and thought of the night ahead of her. She couldn't hide the feeling of dread that bubbled in her stomach. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that _he _wouldn't be there, she knew he would be. She had seen the headlines and heard the stories. "_Hot Scott On and Off the Court" _they had said and each one had been paired with a picture of a different girl draped on his arm at a trashy party.

Yep. He would definitely be there.

Before she knew it they had arrived at the apartment and Brooke was already spouting out orders. Haley rolled her eyes and tried to tune out Brooke.

_This was going to be a fun night_ she thought to herself sarcastically.

* * *

><p>"Yes! And that's how it's done boys," Nathan boasted. He put the controller down on the table and leaned back against the couch.<p>

Lucas threw his controller on the ground and stormed off to get a drink. Jake and Nathan just laughed.

"Way to be a good loser bro," Nathan yelled to him.

Lucas walked back into the living room and tossed a beer to Jake and Nathan. "Whatever man. Even a blind dog gets a bone once in a while," Lucas jabbed.

"Oh please. I school your ass every time we play NBA Live."

"Yeah okay. The only reason you win is because you cheat Nate."

Jake shook his head as the brother began to bicker once again. "Children - Cool it," he said. "So are you guys heading to the party tonight?"

Lucas laughed. "When has my brother ever missed a chance to get drunk and have meaningless hook-ups?"

Nathan just smirked and took a drink of his beer. "When you've got it, you've got it. The ladies just can't resist me."

The boys chuckled because they knew he was right. Wherever they went girls of all ages were coming up to the tall, brown-haired, blue-eyed basketball player. And Nathan Scott was game for anything.

In the past year Nathan had managed to party even more than when he was in high school. In the beginning of freshmen year it was pretty minimal. He was still mending his broken heart. But once bitter and angry Nathan resurfaced, there was no going back.

He partied every single weekend and slept with a different girl each time. His brother tried countless times to stop him but there wasn't anything he could do. And before they knew it, Nathan had earned a _love them and leave them _title throughout Duke University that still continued to prevail.

"You know Nate. You're probably going to have to tone it down a bit this year. You know who will probably be at the same parties," Jake mentioned sheepishly.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Now why would I care about her? She sure as hell doesn't deserve me sparing her feelings."

Lucas shook his head in shame. He hated that Nathan talked about her like this. But he knew that this was how Nathan behaves when someone hurts him. "Don't you think that you guys should at least be civil with one another?"

Nathan recoiled. "Hell no! She's nothing more than a selfish bitch and she deserves everything I say about her."

"No she doesn't! Stop saying shit about her Nathan. You may not care about her but I still do," Lucas defended. No matter how hurt Nathan was, Haley didn't deserve this.

Nathan scoffed. "Wow Luke. If I had known you cared so much about her than I would've let you date her."

"Oh cut that shit out Nate. You know she was my best friend a long time before we were even close to being brothers."

"Whatever. If you care so much about her maybe you should have stayed in Tree Hill instead of coming to Duke with me," Nathan said more calmly.

"You don't think I know that," Lucas yelled. "I know I should've been there for _both _of you and I wasn't. But I'm going to try and fix it. Alright?"

Nathan sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "Fine Lucas. But I don't want anything to do with her. She is no one to me now and if you bring her up again I'm going to beat your ass."

"Well you could try," Lucas teased and then held out his fist. Nathan laughed and the two brothers bumped fists.

Nathan sat back down on the couch and picked up his controller again. Though this time a fight was avoided, he knew that there were some to come. Nathan had noticed this past year that Lucas felt guilty for losing contact with Haley after graduation. He knew that his brother couldn't just let go of his best friend when she was right under his nose.

Nathan didn't mind them being friends. It was just the idea of her being around him again. Eventually, she was going to be hanging out here, and coming along to parties and that wasn't cool with Nathan.

Just the thought of Haley James sent him into a fury. His muscles clenched and his blood boiled. There was no avoiding it. After everything that she had done, there was no way he could ever be civil with her. He wouldn't.

"Now boys, let's go kick off the basketball season the right way – with a party!"

* * *

><p>"No way in hell am I wearing this Brooke. I look like a two cent hooker!"<p>

Brooke stomped her foot and crossed her arms. "Haley, that's the point! You don't want to look like a frumpy old grandma at our first college party do you?"

"Brooke I hardly think that fabric qualifies as frumpy. Now, I let you do my hair and my makeup! Let me pick out my outfit," Haley stated.

"Fine. But don't come crawling to me when you can't find something."

Haley rolled her eyes. "I think I'll be fine Brooke." She went to her closet and began searching for a shirt to match her skinny jeans. "Hey Peyt, who's having this party anyways?"

"Oh this guy on the basketball team – his name's Vegas," Peyton said while she touched up her nail polish.

Haley nodded while pulling out a sequined purple crop top. Something cute yet classy she thought to herself. Perfect.

"So Peyton, is this Vegas guy cute?" Brooke questioned while wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "He's not bad," she said.

"Is he as hot as Jake though?" Brooke asked and then sent a secretive wink to Haley who giggled quietly to herself.

Peyton looked up at Brooke. "Wha-what?"

Haley and Brooke shared a knowing look at the panic that flashed across their friend's face.

"You know – Jake. He's tall and cute – great body. I think I might like me some of him," Brooke licked her lips i

"Uh well- uhm. That's uh nice," Peyton stuttered.

Haley nodded her head in agreement. "I was actually thinking of going after him too. He's a nice piece of ass that boy."

Peyton looked at Haley wide-eyed. "Are you guys messing with me?" She asked suspiciously.

"I don't know P Sawyer. Does it bother you that we find Jake attractive?" Brooke questioned.

"…Or that we want flirt with him at the party tonight?" Haley added.

"…Or that we want to –"

"Alright alright. You got me. I like Jake Jagelski!" Peyton exclaimed loudly.

Haley and Brooke smiled widely and high fived each other for their success.

"Well at least you finally admitted it! How long have you liked him?" Brooke asked.

Peyton fiddled with her fingers in her lap. "About a month," she whispered quietly.

"A month? We talk on the phone at least twice a week! Why didn't you tell us?

"I don't know," Peyton said. "I guess I just didn't want to say anything because we aren't even together or anything."

Haley walked over to the other girls on the bed and rubbed Peyton's shoulder. "Well does he feel the same way."

Peyton threw her head back dramatically and laughed. "Yeah right. We hang out all the time but I'm pretty sure he thinks of me as just a friend."

"You never know P Sawyer," Brooke chimed in. "He could secretly love you or something."

"I don't think so Brooke. He has a lot going on right now so I'm okay with just being friends with him. Can we please just drop it now?"

Haley and Brooke looked at each other puzzled. Despite their worries they nodded and dropped the subject of Peyton's love life.

"So are you girls ready for our first college party?" Brooke asked while clapping her hands together.

"Uh Brooke, this isn't my first college party. I've been here a whole year," Peyton said while smiling.

Brooke waved off her comment and stood up to smooth out her red tank top and black mini skirt. "Well they don't count P Sawyer. Hales and I weren't there so they obviously weren't fun!"

Haley laughed at Brooke and got up off of the bed to stretch. "Oh Tigger- can I borrow your black heels?" She asked.

"See I knew you would need my help!" Brooke boasted.

Haley just nodded. "Yep I always come back to the Brookie monster," Haley said and laughed when Brooke shot her a look.

"You know you guys would be lost without me," Brooke sang out while she skipped to her room.

Peyton just laughed and walked out of Haley's bedroom in her jeans and her blue camisole.

Haley just smiled fondly and looked back at the picture sitting beside her bed. It was one of her and Brooke last summer. When everything seemed to be falling apart, Brooke was there holding her up. "I know I would be," she said softly to herself and turned off the light and closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Haley could hear the music blaring all the way down the hall. She could already see a few bodies passed out in the halls as she neared Vegas' dorm.<p>

The closer she got to the party the more nervous she became. Parties were never really her thing. She was always kind of forced to attend them because of her friends. But she never really felt comfortable there. Except for when he was with her…

Haley shook her head and tried to get him out of her mind. No matter how much she hated him now, he used to be the biggest part of her life.

"You ready Hales?" Peyton asked as she stopped outside the door.

Haley nodded her head and whispered, "As ready as I'll ever be."

The three best friends walked into the dorm and each one of them noticed the immediate attention they received.

Haley felt even more uncomfortable and stayed close behind Peyton and Brooke as they made their way towards Theresa.

"Oh hey girls! So glad you could come. I take it you told Haley and Brooke that they made the squad right Peyton?" Theresa said.

Peyton nodded, "I sure did," she said.

"We are so excited! Aren't we Hales?" Brooke poked Haley in the side with her elbow.

"Ouch," Haley said quietly while looking at Brooke and giving her a glare. She then looked up at Theresa gave her a smile. "Yeah," she said nicely.

"Oh goody. Well I hope you girls enjoy the party. I'm going to go mingle."

Brooke waved goodbye to their cheerleading captain this year. "She's nice," she said to Peyton.

"Yeah she's great. But I should warn you she is a real tight ass when it comes to routines," Peyton commented.

"Oh so just like Brooke was last year," Haley said with a smirk.

"Ha ha Tutor Girl," Brooke said dryly. She looked around at the college people and immediately perked up. She pointed to a group of guys and excitedly said "Look! Its Luke and Jake! Let's go see them."

"Uh, I'm just gunna go get a drink. You guys want anything?" Haley asked quickly.

"Sure. Thanks Hales," Brooke said distractedly while watching Luke.

Peyton just shook her head. "No thanks, someone's got to keep an eye on Brooklyn here."

Haley nodded and parted ways from the girls. She squeezed her way through crowds of people to try and get to the kitchen.

She saw a few drunken frat boys checking her out and then heard them calling her over. Disgusted, she ignored them and sighed thankfully once she finally reached the alcohol.

Haley grabbed a couple red cups and began to pour the alcohol into them, making sure Brooke's glass wasn't too full. She knew how Brooke got.

"Wow, look what the cat dragged in. It's Saturday night; shouldn't you be studying or something?"

Haley cringed at the condescending voice. She took a big sip of the strong liquid and turned around.

"Well if you had half a brain, you would know that classes don't start until Monday. But you don't so that explains it," She said with a smug smile.

Nathan rolled his eyes at her. If it was up to him, he wouldn't have even approached her but of course she had to be where the alcohol was. He didn't even know she was here until he heard some guys from the team talking about her and Brooke.

"God what are you even doing here? You hate parties," Nathan questioned.

Haley's face turned red and she pointed her finger in his face. "DON'T act like you still know me. You don't," she said fuming.

Nathan smirked. "Oh but I do. You hate parties. You think they are pointless and irresponsible. You feel uncomfortable with everyone looking at you and–"

"Just shut the hell up already!" She snapped.

"My my Hannah. Always such a bitch?" Another voice asked.

Great, thought Haley. Just the person she wanted to see.

"First off, it's Ha-ley," she said slowly. "And second, I thought that was just you Rach-hoe?"

Rachel sneered at Haley and turned away. She sided up close to Nathan and rubbed his bicep.

"Natey, where'd you run off to? We were just getting to know each other!" Rachel asked in a whiny voice.

Nathan inwardly cringed at the clinginess of Rachel. He had bumped into her earlier and they had talked for a few minutes. In that time he realized that she had a nice body but an annoying personality.

He watched as Haley looked away uncomfortably and annoyed with Rachel flirting with him in front of her. He smirked. Why not make this more fun he thought.

"Sorry. How about we get to know each other more on the couch?" He asked confidently as he slid his hand down her back. Rachel grinned, pinched Nathan's ass and slowly retreated back to the living room.

Nathan watched her walk away and then turned to Haley. "I hope that didn't make you uncomfortable sweetie," he said with fake concern.

Haley narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "Please. You two obviously belong together. She's a fake bitch and you're a cocky asshole. A perfect match if you ask me," she said sarcastically.

"Well no one's asking you," Nathan said flatly.

Haley shot him a fake smile and turned around. She picked up hers and Brooke's cups and walked off without another word to Nathan Scott.

* * *

><p>"Halesssss! Please, please, please?" Brooke begged. She bounced up and down with her hands on Haley's shoulders.<p>

"God Brooke, how much did you drink?" Peyton asked.

Brooke just shrugged her shoulders and turned back to Haley. "Come on Hales. Let's just play one game!"

Haley shook her head again. "No Brooke. I'm not going over there. Rachel, Nathan and Lucas are there. Why would I put myself in that situation?"

"Because you love me! It's just one game of Never Have I Ever. What's the worst that can happen?"

Haley just gave Brooke a knowing look. Everyone knew that this game had a tendency to get out of hand.

"Hales, let's just play a game to please her. And then we'll leave alright?" Peyton said.

Haley exhaled and nodded her head. She watched Brooke cheer and then let her lead her to the group of people.

Ever since her run in with Nathan, she had been having a lousy time. Peyton wanted to hang around with Jake and Brooke just wanted to be around Lucas. That left Haley being an uncomfortable fifth wheel. Instead she tried to mingle around and talk to some other people but everyone was pretty much too drunk to socialize with.

Now here she was about to engage in a drinking game with people she really didn't want to be around. This isn't going to end well, she thought.

The three girls approached the group of people with their drinks in their hands. They squeezed in between the people and Haley stood awkwardly between Brooke and some guy.

"Hey Hales," Lucas said to her quietly.

Haley offered him a small smile and then looked away uneasily. This was all going to take some time.

"Okay I'll go first," said Vegas. "Never have I ever been so drunk that I went streaking through campus."

Everyone laughed when Lucas' face turned red and he took a quick sip of his drink. Brooke looked at him questionably and he shrugged in response.

"Okay, Never have I ever hooked up with more than one girl in a night," Lucas said.

Nathan smirked and looked directly at Haley while taking a long drink. Haley just shook her head in disgust and looked away. She noticed Rachel giving her the death stare and she rolled her eyes. What else was new?

"I'll go," Rachel volunteered. She looked condescendingly at Haley. "Never have I ever had sex."

Haley smirked and took a sip of her drink along with the rest of the group. "Wow, Rachel sorry you've never had sex," Haley said making everyone laugh.

"Please, like you've had sex. No way Haley the goody goody would do that," Rachel said rudely.

Haley just laughed. "Well if you don't believe me, why don't you ask your boyfriend there," she said.

Nathan clenched his fist and tightened his jaw. He didn't want to bring up the past right now but that's what she was doing in front of everyone. "My turn - Never have I ever kept a secret from the person I love and then lie about it to their face," he said while gesturing to Haley.

Haley pressed her lips together and took a drink. "Never have I ever gave my girlfriend an ultimatum and made her choose between me and her dream."

Everyone was silent as they watched the tension between Nathan and Haley. They noticed the vein popping out of Nathan's forehead as he took a drink.

"Never have I ever single-handedly destroyed a relationship by selfishly leaving with a random guy."

Haley stared wide-eyed at his smug face and look at the shocked faces around him. She looked down at the floor as her eyes filled with tears. Haley put her drink down on the table behind her and pushed her way through the crowd.

"Nice one ass wipe" she heard Brooke say before she was out of the dorm and running down the hall.

She took off her shoes and ran past groups of people without even caring. Tears were freely flowing and makeup was running down her face. Her breathing was becoming laboured but somehow she didn't feel a thing.

She ran so fast that her apartment was in view in what felt like a few seconds. She yanked open the door to her building and ran up the stairs skipping every second step.

Haley unlocked the door and slammed it closed behind her. She leaned her back against the door behind her and took a few strenuous breaths. Haley slowly slid down the wall until she was sitting weakly on the floor.

She buried her head in her lap and let out agonized sobs. She promised herself she would never cry over Nathan Scott again. She swore that her tears would be reserved for people who actually deserved them.

But that was all shot to hell now.


	4. Author's Note

_Author's Note:_

Hey everyone! I am so sorry that I still haven't updated! I know how frustrating it is and I never wanted this to happen with one of my stories! I have just been so busy with school that I haven't had time! I have the whole story planned out – I just need the time to write it! This week I am going out of town so I don't know when I will get a chance to update but I am going to try my hardest! Please be patient with me and i hope you stick with this story!


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